The power of music has therapeutic benefits

Charity Playlist for Life harnesses the powerful effects of personal music to help anyone who is affected by dementia, their families and carers.

Personal music is the soundtrack to one’s life – all the special tunes and songs attached to a person’s emotions that can unlock memories.

Whether it’s the music from a first dance, lullabies from childhood or a theme tune from a favourite TV show, music has the ability to take us back in time and remind us of our past.

Sharing songs and memories can also help people living with dementia connect with family, friends and carers.

The charity was founded in 2013 by writer and broadcaster Sally Magnusson, who discovered the power of personal music when caring for her mother, who was living with dementia.

Sally wanted to share what she discovered about music with other families caring for a loved one with dementia.

The work of Playlist for Life is based on evidence from Stanford University, which shows that playing familiar music to people with dementia can help to reduce distress and the need for medication.

The charity’s trial at a Glasgow care home found that using personal playlists led to a 60 per cent reduction in the use of medication for some residents to help them manage distressed behaviours.

It’s the aim of Playlist for Life that everyone living with dementia has their a personalised playlist, and for everyone who loves and cares for them to know how to use it.

The Get Started section of the charity’s website – which is available in Hindi, Urdu, Chinese, Welsh and Gaelic – explains to relatives, carers and friends how they can turn music detective, with tips on how to find the right tunes for a playlist.

The website’s Resources page lists the top 100 songs in the UK every year from 1915 to 2015, while the Spotify profile page has more than 240 inspiring playlists.

There’s also a guide to choosing an MP3 player, advice on streaming and downloading music, and tips on how to use music therapeutically.

Playlist for Life community officer Pam Ribbeck explained:“We also work in partnership with community organisations that support people affected by dementia, including libraries, dementia cafes and carer support groups.

“We encourage them to join our Help Point network, where they’ll get free training and resources to share with the people they support.”

Help Points that serve as a focal point for library members to discover the transformative effects of making their own playlist can be found at Airdrie, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Motherwell and Wishaw Libraries, Bellshill Cultural Centre, and at the Memories Tea Room in Gilmore and Whitehill Parish Church, Burnbank, Hamilton, St Andrew’s Church, Carluke, and Rotary Club of Rutherglen.

■ As part of My Festive Memory campaign, supporters are being encouraged to share a festive song and a memory. The charity is also promoting its music and memory Christmas card (£5 with all donations going to Playlist for Life minus postage) www.playlistforlife.org.uk/Christmas/ Visit www.playlistforlife.org.uk